Line guide to enable the blind to write script



Feb. 8, 1938. H. cs. |-m

LINE GUIDE TO ENABLE THE BLIND TO WRITE SCRIPT Filed March 21, 1936Patented Feb. 8, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE LINE GUIDE TO ENABLETHE BLIND TO WRITE SCRIPT Claims.

This invention relates to devices for assisting in the writing of scriptand particularly to a de vice for guiding the lines of such writing.

At the present time blind persons experience 5 considerable diflicultyin writing longhand, this being due to the tendency for adjacent linesof writing to overlap each other.

It is an object of this invention to enable blind persons to writelonghand in reasonably straight 0 lines.

Another difficulty encountered by blind persons attempting to writelonghand is in the matter of keeping within definite margins.

Another object of this invention is to enable blind persons, whenwriting longhand, to keep Within definite marginal lines.

Still another object is to permit the location of margin and/or writinglines to be selectively determined.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a writing board forthe blind which is inexpensive to manufacture, light and easy to carryand of enduring construction. The manner of accomplishing the foregoingobjects as well as 5 further objects and advantages will be mademanifest in the following description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional View taken on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Referring specifically to the drawing, the preferred embodiment of theinvention, as shown therein, comprises a Writing board It] including arectangular base II have parametric walls 52 formed integral therewithand extending around all four edges thereof. The upper face of the basell provides a smooth writing surface. The

area of the surface I3 is preferably slightly over 8 x 11 inches so asto take letter-size paper, though it may be of any other desireddimension. Slots M are formed in the wall l2 near two of its corners asshown in Fig. 1, these slots receiving hinge plates l5 of aguide-supporting frame it, which is preferably built to fit neatly intothe space within the wall I2. The plates l5 are nailed to the frame l6as indicated in Fig. 1 and are pivotally related to the base H by nailsI? which extend inwardly through the wall l2 and suitable aperturesformed in the hinge plates l5.

The frame I 6 is preferably rectangular and includes side members I 8which are held in parallel spaced relation by upper and lower crossmembers I9. Side members l8 on the frame "5 have a series of notches 20which serve to receive a line guide cord 2i, or other similar element ofa filamentary character which extends back and forth across the frame Itin parallel strands 22.

The upper and lower cross members H] are re- 5 lieved by shallow notches25 to provide room for clips 26 between which is stretched a marginguide string 21. The clips 26 are easily slidable along the notches 25to adjust the lateral position of the guide string 27. 10

Operation In using the preferred form of the invention hereinabovedescribed, the writer opens the device iii by swinging the frame itupwardly about 15 the hinge nails If and inserts a sheet of paper tilonto the base ll within the wall l2. The frame It is now swungdownwardly into the closed position in which it is shown in Fig. 1. Thewriter now adjusts the clips 26 to place the margin guide string 21where it will indicate the correct margin at the left-hand side of thesheet 33. Having accomplished this the writer takes up the pencil 32 andfeeling his way along the uppermost guide strand 22 to proper distancefrom the right-hand frame member It, the writer starts to write in thespace immediately above wherein he feels the topmost strand 22 with thepoint of his pencil. As the writer comes down with the pencil 32 in thecompletion of each letter he feels the contact of the pencil with thestrand 22 thereby letting him known that he is writing in the straightline as guided by that upper-most strand. The right hand of the writer,of course, contacts the right-hand frame side 5v member l8 before he haswritten over to the right-hand edge of the paper and he, therefore, hasa warning that he is approaching the righthand edge of the paper. He,therefore, is able to end his writing on that line at a proper gram- 40'matical stopping place and proceed to the next line. When writing withthe right hand a blind person preferably follows the pencil, as ittravels along the guide strand just below the line of writing, with hisleft forefinger as indicated in Fig. 1. Thus, when arriving at the rightend of the line, it is easy for the left forefinger to be shifted downto the next strand 22 and follow this over to the left-hand side of thepaper where the writer may then commence with the next line of writing.Owing to the flexibilty of the strands of string 22 the writer may flexone of these downwardly for the purpose of writing the lower loop of theletters f, g, p, q, y and 2 after which 55:.

2 the string resumes its normal tension and straight tautness.

After the sheet 30 has thus been written on to whatever extent desiredthe frame I8 is raised and the paper 30 removed therefrom. This sheet ofpaper may then be reversed and again placed in the device or a freshsheet may be placed therein. Where it is necessary or desirable toadjust the writing guide line relative to the paper, the string 2| maybe removed from the frame I6 and the paper be inserted in the devicebeneath the string 21 so that this will serve as the proper guide forthe writing to be placed on the paper. The guide 21 may then be shiftedto various positions over the paper where writing is necessary withoutremoving the paper from the device. It is to be understood, of course,that similarly shiftable guide strings in groups of one or more stringsmight be provided to operate in substantially the same manner on theside frame members I8 as the guide string 21 and clips 26 operate on theframe cross members l9.

It is to be noted that each of the strands 22 has to pass a certaindistance horizontally underneath each of the frame side members l8before it passes upwardly into one of the notches 20. This results inthese strands possessing, clear up to the portions of lines of writingdisposed just within the frame side members If! that flexibility whichpermits these strands to accommodate downward movements of the pencil 32in writing certain letters as already noted hereinabove.

While the guide strands of my device are pref erably formed of stringthey may be formed of any other filamentary member which will givesubstantially the same beneficial results.

It is also to be understood that while I have shown and described but asingle embodiment of my invention various modifications may be made inthis without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope ofthe appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a device for aiding in writing longhand,

the combination of: a frame including two members adapted to extendalong opposite edges of a piece of writing material; and a plurality ofstrands of a resilient nature connected at their opposite ends to saidmembers at points disposed substantial distances outward from inneredges of said frame members and therefore substantially free to swingparallel with said writing material at said inner edges of said framemembers, said strands lying sufficiently close to said writing materialto flexibly guide a pencil in the hand of a person writing on saidmaterial.

2. In a device for aiding in writing longhand, the combination of z awriting board; a wall along the edges of said board centralizing a pieceof paper deposited therein; a frame pivotally attached to said board,said frame being adapted to swing downward inside of said wall and ontop of said paper to hold said paper on said board; a plurality ofparallel strands of a resilient nature stretched across said frame, saidstrands lying sufiiciently close to said paper to flexibly guide apencil in the hand of a person writing on said paper; and marginal guidemeans located along at least one side of said paper and disposed asubstantial distance inwardly from the points on said frame at whichsaid strands are connected there- 3. In a device for aiding in writinglonghand, the combination of: a writing board; a frame pivotallyattached to said board, said frame being adapted to swing downward ontop of said paper to hold said paper on said board; a plurality ofparallel strands of a resilient nature stretched across said frame, saidstrands lying sufficiently close to said paper to flexibly guide apencil in the hand of a person writing on said paper; and marginal guidemeans located along at least one side of said paper and disposed asubstantial distance inwardly from the points on said frame at whichsaid strands are connected thereto.

4. In a device for aiding in writing longhand, the combination of: awriting board; a wall along the edges of said board centralizing a pieceof paper deposited therein; a frame pivotally attached to said board,said frame being adapted to swing downward inside of said wall and ontop of said paper to hold said paper on said board;

and a plurality of parallel strands of a resilient nature stretchedacross said frame, opposite ends of said s rands being secured in placeon said frame at points which along at least one side of said frame aredisposed substantial distances outward from an adjacent inside frameedge, said strands lying sufliciently close to said paper to flexiblyguide a pencil in the hand of a person writing on said paper.

5. In a device for aiding in writing longhand, the combination of awriting board; a frame pivotally attached to said board, said framebeing adapted to swing downward on top of said paper to hold said paperon said board; and a plurality of parallel strands of a resilient naturestretched across said frame, opposite ends of said strands being securedin place on said frame at points which along at least one side of saidframe are disposed substantial distances outward from an adjacent insideframe edge, said strands lying sufficiently close to said paper toflexibly guide a pencil in the hand of a person writing on said paper.

HARRY G. HILL.

